Author: editor

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder has been picked apart in mainstream media as a mental problem, and this is only where the problems begin. OCD is a mental disorder. This is a problem even in religious Catholic families, and even occurs among clergy. It is also something that can be easily turned into a comedy, with people who stand in front of the sink with one hand and turn the light switch on and off 100 exact times with the other.

No, OCD is a very legitimate and very concerning mental disorder that deserves further exploration. Thankfully, studies and evolutions in science have determined new approaches for patients with OCD. One of the leading tactics is biofeedback. Biofeedback Treatment for OCD has offered new opportunities and less stigmatized options for individuals who have the disorder.

What is OCD at a Cognitive Level?

To first explain the benefits of biofeedback, it is valuable to explain how OCD “works.” Experts might try to describe what Obseessive Compulsive Disorder is at a biological level, but this is not always helpful for giving it a manifestation or grounding. In other words, what can a person do with the knowledge that OCD is due to a lack of proper growth or restrictive neurons in the basal ganglia?

The answer is, not a lot. But, OCD does have a more cognitive explanation that can actually offer some insight into how to tackle the issue in due fashion. OCD is the understanding that the brain is stuck on a certain task or minutia of a concept. It is a continuous repetition of thoughts that keep people returning to the same “quirk.” It is these brain wave patterns that return to the same idea and manifest as “I need to clean again” or “I need to turn this switch” or “hold onto all my contents.” It is a logic circle that reiterates time and time again.

Biofeedback and OCD

How can biofeedback be applied to patients with OCD? The concept is that biofeedback restructures pattern waves. The process finds out exactly how the OCD has manifested. It then retrains the wave length pattern from repeating to moving on. The brain wave patterns are deterred from cycling. Over time, the effort is more and more instilled in the patient and they will begin to develop healthy and forward-thinking brain patterns on their own. The first is the hardest.

What is Biofeedback?

The above means little without an understanding of biofeedback. The approach applies a normalcy to something that isn’t. If a person is familiar with what is “normal,” they can then readjust their approach to fit that formula. The patient is electronically monitored so specialists can find what is not normal about the biological functions of the patient. They then make small adjustments, over time, to train the patient not to continue the ill behavior. The process is painless. It avoids any surgery entirely and it provides results that endure the test of time because of instilled retraining.

Anxiety and OCD

Anxiety is commonly connected to OCD, as well as PTSD and social anxiety. They are all inter-linked. Biofeedback can be applied to any of them to deter the emotional response that is essentially an improper brain wavelength. In anxiety, the circulating brain feeling is a variation of “I can’t breathe.” The worried thought provides a biological outcome, but it all derives from the mental state. This is what biofeedback seeks to remedy. The approach can be tedious but it has long-term results. The results stay, and that is ultimately what makes biofeedback such an essential draw in therapy.

OCD and other mental disorders derive from a conditioned mental loop. Biofeedback emphasizes a direct attack on that loop through retraining it out of existence. Anxiety and its many manifestations can be treated in this way.

For more information, learn how to reduce stress and anxiety from TheBrainPerformanceCenter. Leigh Richardson has helped numerous people in the DFW metroplex suffering from these conditions.